Howling Dark cover art

Howling Dark

Sun Eater, Book 2

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Howling Dark

By: Christopher Ruocchio
Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
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About this listen

The second novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.

Hadrian Marlowe is lost.

For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.

Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly 400 years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.

If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Christopher Ruocchio (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Adventure Military Science Fiction Space Opera Fiction Interstellar
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The book was a really good it’s was thoroughly enjoyable watching Hadrian slowly being corrupted into a creature of darkness.
and the new narrator makes it sound like the story is being read to you by Hadrian as a old man reflecting on his regrets on what he did.

Loved it

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I liked this one more than the first. I feel it's rambly and one of the minor things that bugged me is the narrator pronounced Apostole and winding wrong. Otherwise it's a great read

Dark space opera

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The change of narrator from the first book is a bit annoying but otherwise a great book.

I love this series

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An improvement from the first book, entertaining all the way through with a rather satisfying ending.

Very entertaining

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Overall I love the scale and breadth of the story but the writer has the most annoying pattern that when, with dialogue, a question will be asked and the answer is interspersed with three paragraphs of reflection before it is delivered.

Great story, dreadful detail

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Built on the first book and surpassed all expectations. Narration was fantastic as well. Recommend

Amazing

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I absolutely loved the first book. it was my book of the year, and I was so incredibly excited for the sequel.

it's here, and I can't stand it. I have no idea why they replaced John Lee, but there are so many other English narrators with similar voices to his that could have attempted a similar style. Saul reichlin does a terrible job, with strange pauses in the wrong spots in sentences and no gaps when there should be gaps.

don't buy the audio book, even if you're a fan of the first book.

ruined by terrible narration

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Enjoyed the story but the change in voice narrator was jarring from the first book. I don’t think his much older voice suited.

New narrator doesn’t suit.

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I read a lot of reviews online about how much faster paced this book is than the first in the series and in some ways there is more action. In some senses the book feels quite different to the first because they now explore quite different worlds and species. However, I found the first book more enjoyable overall.
Ultimately, two things let this down. The book is just twice as long as it needs to be. There are very protracted sections for no reason and the whole middle of the book could have been a heck of a lot quicker. At points you think, ok the author is building a sense of time for a reason, but when you realise the whole book is just really drawn out it gets irritating. It does play with some interesting themes, but in a far too repetitive and overt way to make it insightful.
The second thing is the voice acting. I just plain didn't like it. the first book in the series was far better narrated. This narration itself is fine, but the voice acting makes all of the characters sound like old people and I felt like the emotions portrayed in the voice often not what I thought they should be.
I really only finished the book because I was so far through that I didn't want to give up, but I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series.

Lots of promise but a truly hard slog

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